As we know, the Hispanic vote continues to evolve in its impact on this state. Hispanics are the fastest-growing demographic, with Puerto Ricans representing the most rapid-growth group of all. And the political implications are serious. Aside from the usual hard-line, Cuban suspects in South Florida, the Hispanic vote remains solidly in the Democratic column.
Now there’s word that the Puerto Rican diaspora to the U.S. mainland, most notably Florida, is surging again. And the exodus increasingly includes professionals and middle-class Puerto Ricans. It has everything to do, alas, with ratcheting unemployment, cost of living and crime on the island–as well as the allure of service-sector employment around Orlando.